The Human Body and Weightlessness

Dr. William Thornton has unparalleled experience in research, development and application of medical instrumentation and equipment, especially in human spaceflight. He also taught physical diagnosis and developed widely used computer-based multimedia programs and accompanying text in academic clinical medicine. His education includes physics, medicine, flight medicine, USAF flight school, (2000 plus hours as pilot of supersonic jets) and NASA astronaut training (two flights on Space shuttle). In addition to unique and successful research and development in military programs and clinical medicine, Dr. Thornton has worked on problems of human spaceflight in the USAF space program and served for 27 years as a NASA astronaut, working on all programs from Apollo to ISS. Dr. Thornton has been Principal Investigator on over 20 inflight investigations. He was the flight surgeon in an unprecedented 54-day closed chamber low pressure test of equipment and procedures (SMEAT) for the Skylab missions. His findings produced redesign and replacement of several key items prior to that mission. Dr. Thornton is the veteran of two Shuttle flights (STS-8 and STS-51B). He is the only person to date who has designed and flown with his own lab and protocol (STS-8) and was in charge of the first animal flight (STS-51B). His firsts include monitoring by telemetry surgical and ambulatory patients, automated EKG analysis, mass measurement devices for space, measurements in space demonstrating fluid shift and loss, measurements of loss of muscle and strength in space and means of prevention by exercise and diet, development of the Shuttle treadmill, rowing machine, waste collection system (toilet) and others. Thornton holds 50 patents in military aviation, clinical medicine and space biophysics.

1. An Introduction to Weightlessness and Its Effects on Humans.- 2. Basic Mechanisms.- 3. Space Motion Sickness and Vestibular Adaptation to Weightlessness.- 4. Fluid Shifts and Loss.- 5. Cephalic Fluid Dynamics and Ocular Changes in Weightlessness.- 6. Loss of Muscle and Bone During Spaceflight.- 7. Countermeasures to Loss of Muscle and Bone During Spaceflight.- 8. Loss of Aerobic Capacity During Weightlessness.- 9. Neuromuscular Inhibition.- 10. Loss of Body Mass During Weightlessness.- 11. Accommodations to Weightlessness.